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skin, blood and tears

Walking along a busy suburban street, I admire the beautiful complicated patterns of the bark on the street trees. This is nature that can be appreciated as abstract art. Trees also evoke a sense of spiritual wonder, especially old trees. The bark is the skin of the tree, and very important, like human skin, for protecting what is inside.These are photos of London Plane Trees, Plantanus x acerifolia. The bark has that pattern because it breaks away in large flakes to enable the tree to cleanse itself of pollutants. This must why it copes so well in urban spaces, and is such a popular choice for street planting.

A tree is also a habitat, and in the photo above we see a colony of moss growing on its hospitable trunk

If bark is the protective skin of the tree, then sap is its blood and tears. The following photos, of a Ghost Gum, Corymbia aparrerinia, were taken by Marg, a friend of mine.

Like bark, sap serves as a protective function for the tree. Sap flows through the outer part of the trunk called sapwood. Sapwood consists of actively growing cells and carries water, minerals, hormones and nutrients from the roots to the branches. Sap normally belongs inside the tree. When it oozes out, it is a sign that the tree is suffering from disease, pests or pruning. It's weeping or bleeding.

My dog Potter is also fascinated by trees. Here she is wondering why on earth humans call it bark.

Comments

There are truly very interesting tree barks. I am fascinated by them too, although sometimes they elude my attention. When new to a place, i never neglect to photograph those in front of me. Yours are certainly lovely too. Have you seen the bark of the rainbow eucalyptus? It is native here.

I didn't know about rainbow eucalypts and have never seen one. They are extraordinary, quite different from any other gum tree. I think of eucalypts as quintessentially Australian, so always find it strange that they are native to other places, although I suppose Gondwana-wise, the Phillipines and Australia were not so far apart.

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about this blog

I call myself Catmint. I started this blog in 2008, mainly as a way of tracking the evolution of my dry garden in Melbourne, Australia. That led to an interest in photography and in the creatures that live in the garden. It's still about the garden and wildlife, as well as anything relating to nature. But now my passion is thinking about how we humans can learn to co-exist with wild animals and plants, especially in urban areas.